EWING - As soon as she saw the balls of fire and plumes of smoke rising from the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in April, Sharon Lee Parker knew there would be no quick fix to this environmental disaster.

And when she thought of the wildlife getting mired in oil, Parker felt she had to do something to help.

Now it just so happens that Parker, who is CEO of Boehm Porcelain, owns some of the most beautiful birds and sea creatures in the world. And she's putting her company's hand-crafted porcelain sculptures to work raising money for the real-life creatures harmed by the spill.

Boehm Porcelain and three of its Southern retailers are joining in a campaign called Save Our Wildlife, through which 25 percent of the proceeds from the sale of at least 20 pieces from the company's lines will be donated to organizations working to rescue wildlife.

Parker said the idea for the campaign was a natural.

"Boehm porcelain is world famous for its pelicans, egrets, terns," said Parker.

As she gave a visitor a tour of the company's gallery off Princess Diana Lane, she paused in front of a sculpture of a majestic brown pelican.

"Isn't he magnificent? This is really the signature of the South," she said, shaking her head at the thought of the frequent news images of birds coated with oily gunk.

Parker said she wants the proceeds from the fundraiser to go directly to groups rescuing animals. Final plans for which organizations will receive the money are still being made.

"That's what's important to me -- that it get directly to the people who are saving the animals that are there right now," said Parker, who plans to visit the region next week.

Three luxury giftware stores in Alabama, Louisiana and Florida will participate in the fundraiser, which includes bird and fish sculptures. A full price list was not immediately available, but most of the pieces retail from about $600 to $12,000.

The Gulf states most directly affected by the worst oil spill in American history are familiar terrain to Parker, who shares a home in Boca Raton, Fla., with her husband, George, when she is not at her Yardley, Pa., apartment.

In 2002, Parker was diagnosed with two separate cancers, Hodgkin's disease and thyroid cancer. Unable to fly, she made many a long car trip through the Gulf states from her Florida home to the renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

She can picture the beachfront areas fouled by the spill.

"As soon as I saw this, I knew right away this is a disaster," said Parker, referring to the April 20 explosion at the BP rig. "How are they going to cap something 5,000 feet below the water?"

Earlier this week, scientists estimated that as much as 2.5 million gallons of oil are gushing from the damaged well every day, which would mean the equivalent of the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez is flowing into the Gulf every four days.

As of yesterday, some 829 birds and 350 sea turtles have been found dead in the five most affected states, according to the Deepwater Horizon response website, although not all the dead animals are attributed to the spill. More than 600 birds and 75 turtles have been plucked from the water alive with visible signs of oil contamination.

Meanwhile, Parker's plans to help the wildlife come amid her own efforts to rescue Boehm itself. The porcelain company, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, was on the verge of closing last year when Parker decided to purchase the studio for an undisclosed sum.

She has since launched an energetic campaign to market the sculptures, which are collectors' items, and to expand its product offerings. Among the items introduced are ornaments and roses, particularly bridal roses, which sell for $50 to $500, a more introductory price point.

Employment at the studio has risen from four people to about 20, Parker said.

Boehm porcelain remains a specialty item. "Everything is made by hand, nothing is made in a factory," Parker said. "When you buy something like that, you have it forever."